Prompting new poems for Red Wolf Journal

Napowrimo 2017

Perhaps Robert Brewer watched someone dance. That’s why he asked for a dance poem. Dancing is one of the best things in the world. It’s best to do it while you still can. Because sadly, there’ll come a day when you no longer can. With each year your body rusts a little or a lot. Dancing is your body in lithe movement. There’re all types of dance too. So dance the form that your body likes. For instance I’m not much into hip hop. Too funky. I rather like lyrical dance. Surprisingly I find belly dancing the hardest to master, alternating between feeling entranced and repelled, and maybe both at the same time. I’ll stop rambling now.

Day 16. This world is made up of people, and the people are not the same. We’re not cookie molds of each other. We each have our own dispositions. Unless you’re a rank-and-file soldier who has to obey a string of code. Once a command is issued, you fall in unquestioningly. Minions are spawned! No wonder my son doesn’t like the concept. Well that’s not my point. My point really is that the world should accept diversity in people. And not discriminate due to difference. For instance, difference in religion. Or sexual orientation. Because that kind of discrimination makes it difficult for the individuals in question. Anyhow that’s how I’m interpreting Robert Brewer’s prompt, to use the phrase “Blank–insert anything here, systems.. It’s “all systems go” for me.

Day 11, it turns out, is sonnet day. I’ve nothing against love sonnets. My favorite is this one by Pablo Neruda. I don’t do rhyme much. It’s like …against my form. But I relented. Poetry that sounds like poetry because there’s an obvious musicality. Anyway, it’s full moon tonight. And bloody hot. But there you go, Robert Brewer asked for a love sonnet. He asked for a sonnet but I say it has to be a love sonnet.

Day 8. Perhaps our poems are falling in standard? Volume up, standard down? Nah I don’t really believe that. When we write we don’t even know what will turn up. Our job really is to accept whatever comes. Your muse goes where she wants to go. Of course during the process you might be feeling that your poem is wonky and be thrown into a state of panic. You’d just have to lay more bricks or whatever. Perhaps have to knock down some too; hopefully not tear down the entire thing. Anyway Robert Brewer wants us to address panic in whatever form.

In case you didn’t realize, my prompt is just so you can submit your poem to Red Wolf Poems, and submission there is the same as submission to Red Wolf Journal. Not confused? Good.

Robert Brewer’s Day 3 prompt has us thinking about love, as in to take a phrase in the form of “blank” of love. So yea, mine’s “path of love”. It reminded me of the Shakespearean line, “The course of true love never did run smooth” (A Midsummer’s Night Dream). That is especially true of “star-crossed lovers”, a phrase used in Romeo and Juliet. In fact this motif occurs pretty often in literature. You might like a listen to Duke Ellington to get in a mood.

Of course love comes in different forms, so you tell us.

In case you didn’t realize, my prompt is just so you can submit your poem to Red Wolf Poems, and submission there is the same as submission to Red Wolf Journal. Not confused? Good.

Started your poetic engine yet? Just starting to vroom vroom? Then guess what, the prompt says “not today” (This from Robert Brewer.) Say what? But of course we’re not stopping. We’re only pretending. Pretending is an act of imagination is it not? Pretend you’re not here and you are. Because if you’re thinking “not here” you’re already here. And since you are you might as well try and write something today. Yea, today. Say what? I’m deaf. Did you say “not today”? Alright then report to your muse. What did your muse say? Did she say anything, anything at all?

In case you didn’t realize, my prompt is just so you can submit your poem to Red Wolf Poems, and submission there is the same as submission to Red Wolf Journal. Not confused? Good.